BAYELSA COURT SENTENCES 3 INDIANS TO 15 YEARS IMPRISONMENT FOR OIL THEFT

The Federal High Court in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, has sentenced three Indians to 15 years imprisonment for oil theft.

The convicts are the Captain of a vessel MT Akshay, Sailesh Kumar Singh, Chadrashekar Sharma and Ajay Bhatiya, owner of the vessel, who is said to be at large.

A statement signed by the Head of Media and Publicity of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Mr. Wilson Uwujaren, stated that the three convicts were among 12 suspected oil thieves who were arrested aboard the MT Akshay, by members of the Joint Task Force and the Central Naval Command, Yenagoa in November 2012.

He said the suspects were handed over to the EFCC for further investigation and prosecution.The 157,000 litres of crude oil was said to have been lifted from Auntie and the Matriach Julie Rig of Conoil Nigeria Plc into MT Akshay,He said the act constituted “an offence contrary to Section 1(17)(a) of the Miscellaneous Offences Act CAP M17 of the Revised Edition.

”According to him, the convicts were arraigned on two counts bordering on conspiracy to deal in illegal bunkering on January 22, 2013, and were found guilty after a diligent trial process.One of the charges read: “That you Sailesh Kumar Singh, Chadrashekar Sharma, Dharmaraj Kumar, Ajay Kumar, Nimesh Kodi Parambil, Ashraf,Ali, Sanjeev Kumar, Sarbjot Singh, Arvind Kumar Bhaedwaj, Gagan Kumar, Dele Johnson Olayemi and Benneth Egbegi being crew members in MT Akshay with Ajay Bhatiya (now at large) on or about the 25th day of November, 2012 in Brass, Bayelsa State within the Jurisdiction of this Honourable Court did conspire among yourselves to commit felony to wit dealing in Petroleum Product and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 3(6) of the Miscellaneous Offences Act CAP M17 of the Revised Edition(Laws of the Federation of Nigeria) 2007 and punishable under Section 1(17) of the same Act.”Uwujaren said Justice Lambo Akanbi discharged and acquitted the other suspects who were charged with dealing illegally in petroleum products.

Those who regained their freedom were Dharmaraj Kumar, Ajay Kumar, Nimesh Kodi Parambil, Ashraf Ali, Sanjeev Kumar, Sarbjot Singh, Arvind Kumar Bhardwaj, Gagan Kumar, Dele Johnson Olayemi and Benneth Egbegi.

Source. Punch
http://www.punchng.com/news/three-indians-jailed-15-years-for-oil-theft/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

6 KIDNAPPERS BAGS 30 YEARS JAIL TERM IN BAYELSA

Six kidnappers of the Paramount Ruler, Okordia clan, Yenagoa Local Government Area, of Bayelsa State, King Richard Seiba have been sentenced to 30 years in prison.

Simeon Lalapu and five others, who are still at large, were each ordered to remain in prison for five years by Justice Nayai Aganaba of the High Court sitting in Yenagoa.

Armed gunmen had in August, 2012 invaded the palace of Seiba, at about 2am and kidnapped him after which they demanded  N30 million ransom.The judge ruled that the evidence before his court confirmed that Lalapu and five others were the faces behind the incident.

He, therefore, pronounced the accused persons guilty of the offence of conspiracy and kidnapping.According to Justice Aganaba, Lalapu and others on the run  conspired and kidnapped King Seiba from his house in Ikarama community.

He said they took the monarch to a forest in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of the state.He said: "The crime of conspiracy and kidnapping are both punishable under section 444(a) of the Criminal code Law Cap C14 laws of Bayelsa State,2006 and Section 291 of the Criminal Code Law Cap 14 of Bayelsa State, 2006."

Source.. WorldStage Newsonline--

http://www.m.worldstagegroup.com/readnews.php?&id=15587&active=news

NORTHERN ELDERS,SHETTIMA AND SHEKARU'S DEMANDS... COINCIDENCE?

12, April 2013
By Admin.

STILL ON CHIBOK AND THE ABDUCTED 270 GIRLS

A Week ago, Some Northern elders and two other groups approached Mr. President concerning the CHIBOK abduction. Prior to this time federal government has gotten little or no assistance  from the Northern Elders, more especially Borno state Governor  who has resorted to shifting blames Instead of proferring a solution to the current situation. Some newspapers insinuated that these elders may be reaching out to Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau.The other two groups who joined the Northern Elders  are the Islamic clerics in the North and some of the detained insurgents. Together they where reported to have laid out two suggestions to Mr president.

The suggestions are either payment of ransom or the release of some detained members of Boko Haram as a form of swap for the girls. Northern leaders, including Borno elders who met with President Goodluck Jonathan in Abuja, said they are opposed to the use of force to rescue the girls.

For more than 2 weeks the whereabouts of the girls was known to be at sambisa forest but all rescue operations where either unsuccessful or foiled.

Fortunately the  Abduction of the 276 girls from CHIBOK sparked International concern and gathered momentum when the campaign #bringbackourgirls was launched . This campaign escalated when it was reported that the girls have been split up into different groups,  taken out of the country to neighboring countries and may never be seen or rescued again.

Britain got involved and offered military and tactical help, America followed suit, offered military intelligence, France offered military support... Isreal offered military intelligence, surveillance and support. 

Subsequent days after the abduction Spurred different conspiracy theories... CAN  released the names of 180 girls supposedly abducted, stating that 95% of the abducted girls were Christians and 90 percent of the girls reported to have escaped where released because they were Muslims..
WAEC blamed the Borno state Governor for refusing to relocate the girls from CHIBOK to a safer exam center..
The school principal magically misplaced the schools registers and could not stick to a straight story as to the number of abducted girls, the events that led to the Abduction and why the school was unsecured..

People started insinuating that the girls might not have been Abducted as no pictures of any of the 276 girls were released to the media and no parent besides  impersonators have appeared anywhere, Even on presidential invitation. Another reason was because the video released by BOKO HARAM leader Abubakar Shekarau did not show any abducted girl. The Borno state Governor expressed his disbelief that people doubted the Abduction of the girls.

Days later the Foreign military supports arrived Nigeria and sprung into action.

Suddenly The Borno State Governor, Kashim Shettima says he has information as to the whereabouts of the more than 200 abducted girls kidnapped by radical Boko Haram sect in Chibok. Speaking to the BBC, Governor Shettima said "We have reports of them being sighted. That the reports have been passed to the military for verification.  He also added that he did not think the girls had been taken across the border to Chad or Cameroon as reported by some local and international media.

Hours later Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekarau released a video demanding the release of all militants held by the governmentin exchange for the return of about 220 still-missing Nigerian girls. This time He went futher to show many of the abducted girls in the video praying and wearing full-length hijabs. In the video, Shekau claims that those abducted have converted to Islam, which confirms the allegation by CAN that the abducted girls were Christians.

Now the rhetorical  questions are... ;

How did the Northern Elders and groups who visted the president know exactly what BOKO HARAM will request for..?
How come the Borno state Government is more aware of the movement of BOKO HARAM than the Nigerian Army who have been in that forest for weeks.
Now that we have international supports with their ideologies of Not negotiating with Terrorists what will the Nigerian Government do..?

References
http://thenationonlineng.net/new/northern-elders-oppose-force-free-girls/
http://www.thescoopng.com/gov-shettima-tells-the-bbc-that-chibok-girls-have-been-sighted/
CNN. Cnnlive.com
BBC

NIGERIAN ARMY; GIVE ISAAC BORO A MILITARY BURIAL -Bayelsa State Govt

Bayelsa Invites Luther King, Lord Paul For Boro Day Celebration

The Bayelsa State government has announced the nomination of Martin Luther King (Jnr), the first son of the United States Civil Rights Activist, and First Britain’s Black Cabinet minister, Lord Paul Boateng, to lead the activities listed to mark the 2014 celebration of the Ijaw hero, Major Jasper Adaka Boro.The duo is expected to deliver speeches and colloquium at the anniversary celebration with the theme “Isaac Boro Comes Home.”

The Bayelsa State commissioner for culture and Ijaw national affairs, Dr. Felix Tuodolor, said the state government had written to the office of the chief of army staff, Lt. Col. Kenneth Minima, over the need for full military burial for the late Ijaw martyr and hero.

The letter, according to the commissioner, was signed by the Deputy Rear Admiral John Jonah and with request that a full military burial be accorded the late Ijaw hero who was killed during the Nigerian civil war.
According to Tuodolor, the remains of late Adaka Boro was initially buried in Lagos State but has been exhumed for reburial at the Ijaw National Heroes Park in Yenagoa, where the former national security adviser, General Owoye Azazi, was interred.

The commissioner made this known at a news conference on Monday as part of the activities to celebrate the 2014 anniversary of Boro.He said Governor Seriake Dickson had stopped the celebration of Boko Day abroad.

“We will formally bring back the remains not Isaac Boro to the Ijaw National Heroes Park for reburial. We have been celebrating him abroad but this time around, His Excellency, Seriake Dickson, has ordered that the celebration should be done at home.”

He said Boro’s struggle compelled Nigeria to allow the Niger Delta some percentage of its resources.
He lamented that while Boro fought to keep Nigeria united, some insurgents in the northern part of the country were fighting to divide the country.“We want the people up North to learn from the lessons of Boro. Boro fought to unite Nigeria but some people are fighting to disintegrate the country,” Tuodolo said.
He said the government had written to the army authorities to participate in the funeral and give Boro a military burial since he died in active military service for the country.

Tuodolo added that Luther King Jnr. and Paul Boateng have been invited to speak at the anniversary colloquium.

http://leadership.ng/entertainment/370227/bayelsa-invites-luther-king-lord-paul-boro-day-celebration

BREAKING NEWS: US MILITARY ADVISERS ARRIVE NIGERIA : FRANCE DEPLOYS 3000 SOLDIERS AGAINST TERRORISTS

09/05/2014
BREAKING NEWS: US MILITARY ADVISERS ARRIVE NIGERIA : FRANCE DEPLOYS 3000 SOLDIERS

Six U.S. military advisers arrived in Nigeria on Friday to help in the search for girls kidnapped last month by Islamist militants, a U.S. military official told CNN.

The advisers will join a team of U.S. and British officials already in Nigeria, helping find the girls, planning rescue efforts and devising strategies to help subdue the terror group Boko Haram, which abducted the girls April 14 from a government boarding school.

About 60 U.S. officials have been on the ground since before the kidnappings as part of counterterrorism efforts with Nigeria, a senior U.S. administration official told CNN.

They have been holding meetings, getting resources into the country and making assessments with local authorities."Our interagency team is hitting the ground in Nigeria now, and they are going to be working ... with President Goodluck Jonathan's government to do everything that we possibly can to return these girls," Secretary of State John Kerry said Thursday.

Their tasks include establishing a coordination cell to provide intelligence, investigations and hostage negotiation expertise.There are no plans to send American combat troops, according to U.S. Navy Rear Adm. John Kirby, who serves as Pentagon press secretary.

A British team drawn from the country's Department for International Development, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Ministry of Defence also arrived in Abuja on Friday, the foreign office said.

They will work with Nigerian authorities and the U.S. team both on strategies to rescue the girls and on longer-term efforts to defeat Boko Haram, the office said in a statement.Boko Haram herded nearly 300 girls out of bed under the cover of darkness on April 14 at a school in northeastern Nigeria.A few escapees shared harrowing tales of escaping into a nearby forest. Authorities said the 276 still missing probably have been separated and taken out of the country.

International outrage has escalated over the nation's largely ineffective effort to subdue Boko Haram."By God's grace, we will conquer the terrorists. I believe the kidnap of these girls will be the beginning of the end for terror in Nigeria," Jonathan said at the World Economic Forum meeting in Abuja on Thursday.

In addition to the United States, Jonathan said, Britain, China and France have pledged to help find the girls snatched from the school in Chibok.The United States' team includes law enforcement experts and military advisers. France also said it is sending a team but didn't provide specifics on what expertise it will bring.

"Clearly, there is danger whenever we send troops almost any place in the world," U.S. House Speaker John Boehner said."But I do think the President is taking the right step here to work with our allies to try to do everything we can to get these girls back to their families in a safe way."The task of recovering the girls appeared to grow more complicated with news that U.S.

intelligence shows the 276 girls have been split up.Kirby said they believe the girls "have been broken up into smaller groups" but declined to detail how officials came to the conclusion. His sentiment has been echoed by others.

"The search must be in Niger, Cameroon and Chad, to see if we can find information," said Gordon Brown, a former UK prime minister and the U.N.'s special envoy for global education.Boko Haram's leader, Abubakar Shekau, took credit for the mass kidnappings in a video that surfaced this week. His group's repulsive violence did not end there.Suspected Boko Haram militants attacked Gamboru Ngala, a remote state capital near Nigeria's border with Cameroon. The attack Monday targeted an area soldiers use as a staging ground in the search for the girls. Some of the at least 310 victims were burned alive.

"We are also going to do everything possible to counter the menace of Boko Haram," Kerry said. "The entire world should not only be condemning this outrage but should be doing everything possible to help Nigeria in the days ahead."Nigeria has been accused of failing to take action in the hours and days after the girls were abducted."In a hostage situation, time is of the essence," Kirby said. "We lost some time."Jonathan waited three weeks before speaking to the nation on the matter. He said that rescue efforts were under way at the time but that they could not be disclosed publicly.

In another Development,  President Goodluck Jonathan thanked delegates, including Britain, the US, France and China, at the World Economic Forum in Abuja for their offers of help to rescue the girls.

He claimed that the mass abduction would mark a turning point in the battle against the Islamists, saying: “I believe that the kidnap of these girls will be the beginning of the end of terror in Nigeria.”

France said on Thursday that it would station about 3,000 troops in neighbouring Mali, Niger and Chad to help tackle militants in the Sahel region.

It followed Britain’s announcement on Wednesday that it was to send a small team of experts to Nigeria “as soon as possible”. The team is expected to concentrate on planning and giving advice to local officials rather than any ground operation to free the girls, although Downing Street is also understood to have ordered three locally based liaison officers from the SAS to advise the rescue mission.

Source
CNN
The Telegraph

http://edition.cnn.com/2014/05/09/world/africa/nigeria-abducted-girls/index.html?hpt=wo_c2

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/nigeria/10815508/Nigerian-Boko-Haram-militants-seeking-prisoner-swap-to-return-schoolgirls.html

BAYELSA GOVT REGRETS ABDUCTION OF DUTCH NATIONALS, INTENSIFIES SEARCH AND RELEASE OF ABDUCTEES

08/05/2014

BAYELSA GOVT REGRETS ABDUCTION OF DUTCH NATIONALS, INTENSIFIES SEARCH AND RELEASE OF ABDUCTEES

The Bayelsa State Government notes with regret, the unfortunate incident of the kidnap of three Dutch Nationals at Letugbene community in Ekeremor Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.

The Government wishes to state for the records that, the three Dutch Nationals were escorted into the Niger Delta, through Warri in Delta State, by a Non Government Agency (NGO), without any prior notice to the Governments and security agencies of both Bayelsa and Delta States, not until they were abducted by the gunmen.

While, the Government of Bayelsa State appreciates and welcome visitors, especially foreigners, it is important that, the Government and security agencies are put on notice of such visits. But, sadly, this was not done in this case.

It is, however, gratifying to state that, the Bayelsa State Government and security agencies are on a serious manhunt for the Dutch Nationals and their captors.

Meanwhile, Bayelsa State Governor, Hon. Seriake Dickson has assured the Dutch Ambassador to Nigeria, John Groffen that, everything humanly possible was being done to secure the release of the three Dutch Nationals.

The Governor, who gave the assurance, when the Ambassador visited him at the Bayelsa House in Abuja, expressed regret over the incident, adding that, the Government in collaboration with the security agencies are working round the clock to ensure the safe release of the victims.

Daniel Iworiso-Markson

Chief Press Secretary to the Governor of Bayelsa State

IS CHIBOK A SCAM?

IS CHIBOK A SCAM?
By Admin

09/05/2014

Different Conspiracy Theories..

Yesterday The Ex- MEND Boss Muhajid Asari Dokubo published a short sentence that destabilized the media and a lot of people called for his head.. He wrote " PASS THE MESSAGE...No Girls are Missing.. CHIBOK Is a SCAM".  His message reminded me of a story I read on premium times some months ago where A former governor of Borno State, Ali Modu Sheriff, who also came under similar attack when he said the bomb blast in Maiduguri, the State Capital of Borno State, by a suicide bomber in a pick-up van was not carried out by the outlawed Boko Haram Sect. He categorically said the Sect was not responsible for the blast. Mr. Sheriff blamed Borno State government officials and members of his All Progressives Congress ( APC) for the blast that killed at least 31 people( human beings not cattles) and left a dozens more injured. As if that was not enough Dr Kemi Omololu-Olunloyo  an international investigative Journalist for HNN AFRICA after visiting CHIBOK released a 3 minutes Video Saying CHIBOK Is a Scam.

Today my Brother has Come up with his own conspiracy Theory that We (Nigerians) are still being played by "Oyibo people" and a political party.
he wrote;

"Please I want us to ponder on this...... It just crossed my mind and I have been left believing strongly that the disintegration of Nigerian seems so imminentLike we all know, Nigeria has been predicted to undergo disintegration in 2015 by the western world.

The play was all but written and the influence of the "oyinbo's" have made sure that we acted according to the written script.

President Goodluck lately made what I would term the worst decision of this tenure by accepting foreign military aid which indirectly sends us back to colonization. The US marines coming into Nigeria is based on what agreement? When would they leave? The other countries they have claimed to help, how long have they been helping them?

Since the national confab started and a microscopic number of northern elders decided against resource control, even going as far as making statements towards disintegration I had the feeling that the script written by the "oyinbos" has started on as an african stage play. Little did I know that it would soon rapidly turn out to be an American film.

President Goodluck lost the media and with it he lost one of the pillars of our country. The oyinbo's with the help of the purported opposition party have actually played it to the best of their ability.

On the issue of the chibok girls, it is now more emotional that factual. We don't really want to know any facts, all we want is ‪#‎bringbackourgirls‬ because our emotions are driving us.The same people that used the media to say that the mother of the nation (1st lady) is doing nothing concerning the girls that are missing are the same people taunting her and asking what right she has to summon (whereas she actually "invited") public officials.

Now I just want us to ponder on a little question "What if these girls are truly not missing" do you think the oyinbo military would leave Nigeria without finding the "not-missing" girls??? Mind you, the US marines or CIA are nothing compared to the British SAS special forces and if the information reaching us is correct, the British military personnel at the British high commission in Nigeria is actually working together with our Nigerian military personnel.

It took me quite a while to put a few pieces together but when I discovered APC hired someone who worked on Obama's campaign to be their chief media strategist and considering the fact that majority of the Niger delta freedom fighters had their affiliations to both Germany and Russia, "I think" our beloved country is being played on a chess board.

It might seem like nothing to us and I might be wrong as this is just mere perception, but if the puzzle completes and we let our fate be decided on a chess board just like during the colonial era, we might just be on the verge of total collapse as a sovereign nation.

At the end, this is just a feeling of one individual, but like in the old testament, I believe I have seen the handwriting on the wall but my sincere prayer is that I am wrong.

Kenigbolo Meya Stephen
Senate President NANS-GH"

Ref:
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10203516153327526 

http://m.premiumtimesng.com/news/153377-borno-government-officials-boko-haram-carried-maiduguri-bomb-blast-ex-governor-sheriff-says.html

https://www.facebook.com/kenigbolo.meyastephen?ref=ts&fref=ts

https://www.facebook.com/mujahid.dokuboasari?ref=ts&fref=ts